Republican Senator John Kennedy has accused Democrats of prolonging the ongoing U.S. government shutdown by insisting on the reinstatement of $4.2 million in funding for LGBTQ programs in Uganda and the Western Balkans, highlighting how foreign aid has become a flashpoint in Washington’s deepening partisan divide.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Kennedy claimed that Democrats — led by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — were blocking the passage of a stopgap funding bill unless the LGBTQ and development funding was restored.
“$4.2 million — we took it out,” Kennedy said. “The Congresswoman and the socialist wing of their party say we’ve got to put that back in before they open the government.
That money was for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people in the Western Balkans and Uganda.”
The U.S. government shutdown entered its ninth day on Sunday, with around 750,000 federal employees furloughed without pay as Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a deal to fund operations.
While Republicans control both chambers of Congress, they lack the 60 votes required in the Senate to pass the spending bill without Democratic support.
Democrats argue that they oppose funding cuts that target marginalized groups and essential global health programs, saying the reductions would harm vulnerable populations rather than governments.
